Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1887-02-04
In committee of tho whole the house

by which young girls are enticed into the
lance houses OF the mining camps under
false repre- sentations, and then compelled
10 give them elves up TO lives OF shame,
and very graphically described the method
Of hssing the unfortunate wretches who
escaped, by putting dogs on their trails
Tho bill, as passed by the house, Furnishes
with five years Imprisonment any person
connected with these dens.
Bills have been In trod uced In both houses
to provide for the election OF IN addition
al Justice of tho Supreme Court, and onr
bill has been noticed To increase the salary
OF the Judges. This latter would seem TO
be the most needful The judges work al
most interminably. During the terms OF
court sessions are held day and night, and
in the interim the judges are reading
briefs, discussing cases and preparing
opinions. The court in its present form
was organized in 1858 and that year tried
seventy eight cases, appears by the
tried eighty nine cases. The next hve
wears interval, 1863, showed eighty two
cases, decrease during the war period,
the old motto holding strictly true. The
sword taking the place OF the toga. After
that there was n marked increase. In 1873
there were POS cases tried in 1873, 42l and
in 1881 the last quinquiennial date, 44O
cases.
A bill has been prepared to increase the
force in the railroad commissioner Office.
1t provides for an additional CLERK at
| s., 200 IA year, and for an official to be
| known as the Mechanical Engineer, who is
| TO receive salary of $l.0OO year, ana
who is to examine the equipment OF rail
| roads, their tracks, switches, cars, etc,
and report the result of his inspection,
I with recommendations, TO his chief Tor
such action as he may think proper
Members OF the house have evidently not
| lost the sweet tooth OF boyhood days, for
when the bill TO prevent the sdulteration
Of candies and CONNECTIONS and the sale
thereof, came up for action IL was passed
without u dissenting vote.
The house also passed a concurrent reso-
luton accepting the invitation OF the
officers of the Michigan university and OF
| the city of Ann Arbor to visit that insti-
! tuition on Thursday Feb. 3. and the reso-
luton was afterward concurred in by the
senate, which also voted a recess from
! Feb TO Feb. 10.
The work OF the house is advancing rap
! idly, due TO the industry OF the chief com
mittees and the good management OF the
! chairmen. Every morning "A large mum
| Der OF reports are submitted and these re-
ports bring the measures before the house
/ for action as rapidly a the state printers
can print the bills. II Is the Judgement OF
many that the present house has better
constituted committees than any or the
|
Particularly 10 be commended are the ex-
! perienced members OF the last legislature
who are now serving as chairman OF com
mlttees.
The farce OF paying our state officers
salaries that are not at all commensurate
| with the duties that are required or them
has been great source OF trouble 10 Sena-
tor Palmer, and he has introduced JOINT
| resolution in the senate, proposing an
N "a
fix the annual salaries of Judges OF the cir
cult courts at $500, Of the governor or the
state at 5000, Of the state treasurer: sec
rotary of state and commissioners or the
land Office at S.. 800, Of the attorney general
at 5000, and OF the superintendent OF pub
lie instruction at 5000. The resolution
proposes that the amendment shall be
voted on at the election 10 he held on the
first Monday in April next
The senate devoted an afternoon session
the past week TO memorial services in hon
or OF the late Repre- sentative Case OF
Wayne. Senators Edwards, o Reilly,
! Howell and Post pronounced eloquent Gu
logies in honor of the deceased.
A delegation OF good men and women
who want the age of consent" in females
raised TO Is years appeared before the
judiciary committees of the senate and
house the other morning. DR.. l.. Anna
Ballard OF Lansing. representing the stat'
department Of social purity, opened the
discussion by reading n carefully prepared
paper in which she took strong GROUNDS
that the limit should not be fixed at IA Oh
Ia, but should be placed as h gh a IS years
Mrs. Rachel Bailey of Hastings represent
tive Of the state board of the w G. I. U.
Mesdames Ketchum and Elizabeth Eagles
field OF Grand Rapids and one or two
other ladies, followed in hort addresses
while Bishop Gillespie of Grand Rapids
and the Rev. NJ. NJ. Callan Of Lansing also
spoke in support OF the same proposition
Other ladies Of the delegation were Mes
DANES J. b. Porter and =. V. Emery o
Lansing and Hodges OF Grand Rapids
Notwithstanding the efforts OF theS'
earnest people il seems wholly improbable
that the present legislature will raise thu
age Of consent above fourteen years, which
viii be four years higher than 1T now Is.
A memorial has also been received by
the house from the association OF prose
cutting attorneys asking that the statute
relating to the age Of consent be amended
and the age be fixed at ! years.
The bill providing for an additional JUS
tice of the supreme court has been favor
ably reported TO the senate, and 1T seem
practically certain that the measure vii
be passed.
In executive session the other day th
|
Hal &. Wyman of Detroit, to be IA membe
OF the state board of charities aud correc
tions; Sidney ID. Miller, TO be member o
the board Of metropolitan police commits
sioners for the city of Detroit and W IN
Ball TO be member OF the board OF contro
Of the state reform school.
A bill OF considerable Importance ha
been introduced in the house by Repre-
sentative Cross of Van Buren, county rels
tive to the disposition OF state part pai'
swamp lands. The measure provides tina
township boards may make compromis
settlements and determine thereby tn
sum which the commissioners OF the stat
land Office may receive in extinguishmen
OF the ditch, or drain or other take
charged against these swamp lands II
their several townships and that thi
sum when so determined, shall be receives
in lieu of all the taxes above described an
interest theron. The passage OF the meas
ure will be OF particular advantage I
many Of the township school funds.
All after the enacting clause has bee
stricken out of the joint resolution for tn
appointment of graduates OF the sgricu
tural college as second lieutenants in tn
state militia.